Steering mechanism for four-wheel-drive vehicles.



W. A. BESSIERDICH.` STEERING MEcHANIsI/I FOR FOUR WHEEL DRIVE VEHICLES*I APPLICATION FILED 1AN.31| 1917- Patented Mar; 18, 19.19.

UNITED s WILLIAM AUGUST nnssnanIcH, or cLINroNvILLE, WISCONSIN.

T0 all whom t may concern.'

" Iat Be a known that I, WILLIAM A. BESSER! DICH a citizen of the United States, residing Clintonville, in the county of'Waupaca j and State of Wisconsin, 'have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Steering Mechanism for Four-Wheel-Drive Vehicles;` and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description l of the invention,"such as will enable others skilled in the y'art to which it appertains to make and .usev'the same.

My invention relates to an improved steermg mechanism for four wheel drive vehicles,

and is primarily intended for use upon autov mobile trucks and like vehicles. One of the objects of my invention is the provision of a hollow front axle provided the housing being constructed in suchA a.

'oint connec- With shafts havin a universal ghafts are a apted to be tion and which s driven by thejsource of power upon the vehicle for driving the front wheels 'of the vehicle.

Another object of my invention is the pro'- vision of a housing for the universal joint,

manner that the front wheels of the vehicle 4may be readily 'guided by the steering dei vicesupon the vehicle.

A further object of my invention is to provide a housing consisting of two casings i one operatively positioned within the other in a manner to provide for the actuation of l the stub axle for guiding the front wheels of the vehicle.

A still further object of my invention 1s the provision of means within the housing for adjustin the casings relative to each other for maintaining certain of the surfaces thereof out of contact with each other to provide for the freedom of movement of the stub axles and to guard against binding action of the contiguous surfaces of the casinglshwhich-may be due to any cause.

eseand other objects and advantages of my-invention will become more apparent as the nature of the invention is more clearly understood from lthe combination and arrangement of the parts as set forth in the followin specification, defined in the appended c aims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of my. invention, 'showing the detailed construction and the manner of assembling the parts thereof.

Y Specification of Letters Patent.` Patented Mal'. 18, 1919. Application led January 31, 1917. l `Serial No. 145,688.

Figav 2 is a vertical transverse sectional vlew of my. invention, showing further detailed construction of the parts shown in Fig. 1.

ig. 3 is a fragmentary detailed sectional view showing a slighty change in the form oil. the adjusting means which I may em- P 0Y Referrin to the drawings, wherein like reference c aracters indicate corresponding v is considered sufficient for illustrating my invention. The axle l and the casing 2 are longitudinally divided so as to provide an upper section and a lower section, each of the sections bein provided at their meeting edges with any esired number of the apertured ears 4., through which are adapted to pass the bolts 5 for securing upper and lower sections of the axle 1 and its casings 2 together in operative relation.

The casing 2 is formed with the diametrically oppositely disposed hollow bosses 6 formed with the closed endor caps 7. Formed through the sidewalls of the bosses 6 are the oppositely disposed alined openings 8 and 9. The openings 8 and 9 are preferably circular, the opening 8, however, being of greater diameter than the openings Q'so that there can be seated within the open- 1ngs 8 the bushings 10.; the functions of the hereinafter described.

Operativ'ely positioned within the outer casing 2 is the inn'er casing 11 provided with the diametrically oppositely and outwardly disposed trunnions 12, the trunnions 12 projecting for a distance into the hollow bosses of the outer casing 2 for rotatably mounting theinner casing 11 within the outer casing 2. The inner casing 11 is of sufiiciently less diameter than the outer casing 2, so that when the inner casing 11 is operatively positioned within the outer casing 2 the outer walls of the inner casin 11 will be spaced from the inner walls o Ythe outer casi 2 as indicated by the space 13 intervening ettveen the respective adjacent surfaces of the casings 11 and 2. Projecting from one side of the inner casing 11 is the tubular extension or stub axle 14 provided with the shoulder or collar i5 at its inner and and the threaded portion 16 at its outer end adapted to receive any suitable form of retainingnut for securing the hub of the wheel (not shown) in operative lposition upon the tubu lar extension or stub axle 14.

Within the axle -1 iS operatively positioned the shaft 17, preferably mounted in the roller bearings 18 suitably housed withinthe axle 1, land upon the end of the Shaft 17 which projects into'the inner casing 11 is formed the fork or yoke 19 provided upon .the outer surfaces of its ends with the oppositely disposed trunnions 20 whichare se-ated in Aa pair of oppositely disposed recesses of the sectional or sp1-it ring 21, the sections of the split ring 21 being secured together through the medium ofthe bolts 22 for operatively securing. the trunnions 20 of the shaft 17 .in the recesses thereof. Within the alternate l.pair of the oppositely disposed recesses within the sectional' .rings 21 are opera-tively mounted the outwardly projecting trunnions 2 3 formed upon the fork or yoke 24 of the stub` shaft 25 `which projects through Ithe tubular extension or stub axle 14 and has upon its projecting end the squared end 26 adapted to -be seated within a square socket or recess of a connecting member (not shown), which connecting member is also connected with the hub of the wheel (also not shown) so that, when the shaft 17 is driven by the motive power upon the vehicle in any suitable. and desirable manner the power-will be transmitted to the, stub shaft by the universal joint connection between the shafts 17 land 25 and through the Amember connecting the end 26 of the stub shaft 25'with the hub of .the wheel whereby the front wheels of the vehicle are driven.

In order to adj ustably maintain the inner casing 11 in spa-ced operative positionwithin the outer casing 2 I preferably mount within the. hollow bosses 6 of the outer casing i 2 the rotatable ,adjusting members.

These rotatable adjusting members consist -of the shafts4 27 journaled in the lbushings 10 .and the openings 9 of the bosses 6 and formed centrally upon the shafts 27 are the cams 28 adapted to be seated in the concaved recesses 29 of the wear plates 30,wh'ich are interposed between the cams 28 andthe ends of the trunnions 12 'of the inner casing 11. For rotating the shafts 27 for actuating the canis 28, the ends of the shafts 27 -are provided with'the threaded stems 31 upon which .are threaded the retaining nuts 32 which bind against the washers 33 upon each side of the Ibosses 6, the washers 33 prov`iding bearing members for the nuts 32 and also efficient dust excluding members.

The screw threaded stems 31 are `preferably disposed upon theJ ends of the shafts 27 at a -p'oint somewhat ofi' the longitudinal.

center of the shafts 27 and preferably at the side of the center` of the shafts 27 ornear memes the major radii of the cams 28, so that when a suitable wrench or other tool is applied to 34 upon one of the threaded stems 31 of the shafts 27 there will be a double cam -a'cti'on exerted upon the wear plates 30' when the shafts 27 are revolved for adjusting ythe inner casing 11 within the outer casing 2 and thereafter the nuts 32 are tightened, which have 'been previously loosened.

for the adjustment, for securing the shafts 27 axis of the shafts 27, whilethe stems 31, as

shown in Figsl and 2 at one side of the longitudinal axis ofthe shafts 27, are swung around the axes of the shafts 27 thereby affording a better lever action than that attained'by having thetlireaded'stems along the axis of the shafts 27 as in Fig. 3.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A spherical housing for'. a universal joint comprising an outer casing having bosses, an inner casing having trunnions disposed within saidy bosses, tubular extensions upon said casings, and rotatable members .disposed within said` bosses at a right angle'to the vertical axes of said trunnions and operativelyv connected 'therewith for Jmaintaining said casings out of contact with each other.

` 2. A sphericalv housing for a universal joint comprising an outer casing having bosses, an inner casing having trunnions disposed within said bosses, tubular extensions upon said casings, rotatable members disposed within said bosses at a right'angle to tively connected therewith for maintaining said casin s out of contact with each other, and non-circular heads provided upon said rotatable members to operate the same.

4the vertical axes of said trunnions and operal3.A spherical housing for a universal 4joint comprising an outer casing having bosses provided withl transverse' openings therein, an inner casing having trunnions disposed within said bosses, and adjusting members rotatably mounted within said transverse openings and operatively connected with the trunnions within said bosses.

4. A spherical housing for a universal joint comprising an outer casing having bosses provided lwith transverse openings therein, an inner casing having'trunnions disposed within said bosses, adjusting meinbers rotatably mounted -within said trans` With'the trunnions Within said bosses, and- Wear plates'disposed between said adjusting members and said trunnions.

5. A spherical housing 'for a universal joint comprising an Outer casing having bosses, an inner casing `having trunnions disposedvvithin 'said bosses, tubular eXten nions to adjustably maintain the inner cas sions upon said 'casings, shafts rotatably mounted in said bosses, and cam means upon said shafts operatively connected with said 1` trunnions to adjustably.- maintain the inner easing in spaced relation to the outer easing. 6. .A- spherical. housing for a universal joint comprising an outer casing having bosses, an inner casing havin trunnions disposed Within said bosses, tu ular extensions -upon said easings, shafts rotatably mounted in said bosses, 'cam means upon said shafts operatively Connected with said truning inspaced relation to the outer casing,

means for rotating said shafts, and means for maintaining said shafts in adjusted position.

7. A spherical housing for a universal joint comprising an outer casing having Abosses provided `with transverse openings therein, an inner easing having trunnions disposed Within said bosses, shafts rotatably mounted within the openings of said bosses and provided With threaded stems at each end, cam means disposed on said shafts, means for'- rotatin said shafts, and lock nuts disposed upon 4t ie opposite ends of said shafts for retaining them in adjusted position. v

-In testimony: whereof -Ihave signed my.

name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

WILLIAM AUGUSTv BESSERDICH. .Witnessesz C. E.-G1BsoN,

LAR'soN; 

